[Core principles for the regulation of placement subject to public law in psychiatric hospitals - with explanations]

Abstract

While the provisions of the highest courts concerning the involuntary commitment and treatment in psychiatric hospitals of people unable to give their consent are being implemented, in many federal states corresponding adjustments to the rules governing involuntary commitment in accordance with the mental health laws and laws on involuntary commitment are still pending. In states where new regulations do exist, legal experts express doubts that they conform to the Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The DGPPN has formulated key parameters for involuntary commitment from a clinical perspective, which should be taken into account in the new regulations of the individual federal states.

Keywords: Coercive action; Ethics; Involuntary commitment; Law; Psychiatric hospital.